Life's Theater

A friend mentioned this during a casual chat on Sunday night.

~

As much as networking is touted as an important aspect of "moving ahead" in life and in the corporate world, what really matters is not the amount of people you know, but rather, the number of people who know you.

Think about it. Even if you have 200 contacts, who are all at or above managerial level, the chances of them offering you a job is pretty low, unless you actively chase them for openings and only if they have a lasting and strong impression of you, coupled with a chance opening that coincides with your request.

On the flip side, if they know you, you will be one of the first few personnel whom they will think of when their company is recruiting and they may, in turn, make the effort to contact you rather than for you to contact them.

~

Without needing too much elaboration, as I am certain that you, my dear reader, can fathom the benefits of such a proposition.

Perhaps it is time for us to stick out our fingers and to count the number of people who know us, on top of the number of people whom we already know.

Remember, impression management matters.

Call me a sentimental old fool, but I simply could not walk away without some form of a final goodbye.

I returned today, one last time, to pay my respects and to give her a final farewell.

~

Farewell old friend, for our on-off relationship since 1988, when I first resided in your stately presence. Thank you for accompanying me over the many quiet and lonely nights with the warmth of your steady security, whispering your soft creaks and untold secrets which up till today, I have yet to decipher.

You alone bore witness to the many milestones in my life, from my many firsts to my growth and maturity as an individual. You alone heard every word whispered, spoken and sung from these lips. Despite your impassionate silence, you experienced my every emotion as a growing child, from denial, anger, rejection, fury, violence, impassioned stubbornness to my transition of calm, humor, resilience, joy. You suffered with my actions and decisions made, from the broken windows and doors to the drama that unfolded within the household.

Denied of voice, you silently acknowledged all my secrets and kept them as such. I thank you for your steady companionship.

Farewell, for come our next meeting, I may never find you standing there again.

~

I stood in the driveway, a tinge of melancholy twisting my heart as I saw her basked in a shroud darkness. On the morrow, the plug of life support will be pulled. No longer will she pulse with the spark of electrical life and channel the substance of life through her veins. Come another two more months and she will be no more.

Forlorn, I stepped in, respectful of the encompassing silence and whispered my last words to her. Flooded with the many memories which she alone had bore witness to, I stared blankly, mental photographs of her once occupied halls, coupled with the bustle of what only a home can be ringing in my mind.

I learnt all about my life, by looking into her empty halls.

Soon, you shall be no more. You shall be forgotten by some, or made a faded memory by a select few, but rest assured that your memory will always live on in my heart.

You will be sorely missed.

~

In silence, I entered the car, backed out of the driveway and left, my sorrow sated by the knowledge that I have said my farewells and that it was time to move on.

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November
In a rare show of spontaneity and temporal abandonment of my academic duties; to celebrate a minor victory of sorts and to seek some respite from the insane rush that defines university life, with no small part due to the recommendation of a temptress of the pro-entertainment vein, I decided on the night of the first day of the week to catch the Wachowski Brother's highly rated V for Vendetta (of which it was purported that The Matrix drew part of its inspiration from).

In all honesty, I was completely blown away and amazed at the execution of the show, of the manner in which violence and brutality were depicted, of the prose, blank verse and iambic pentameters used in its conversations without overbearing the style of the movie and of the many symbolisms subtly slotted into the course of the show.

The people should not be afraid of their government. The government should be afraid of the people

A movie in which I can walk out of the theater remembering a fair number of its quotes ad verbatim is, in my books, plain awesome. To Alan Moore, the creator of the graphic novel that spawned this movie, I salute your vision, creativity and genius.

Ideals are bulletproof

If you are in search of Hollywood fare of the typical garden variety, chances are, you might think that the movie aims to propel itself via its overly complicated language and perspectives, to confound its audience, or that the movie is plain fluff. Perhaps this movie is not for you then. However, almost all of those whom I have spoken to so far agree with me that the movie is nothing short of pure brilliance.

I would tell you unabashedly, in the midst of week 12 of the semster to take two hours off your hectic schedule to catch this movie. It will be worth it.

Hell, I'm definately getting the DVD when its released.